PRTS Allows Better Prediction of COPD Risk for Those of Non-European Descent.

 

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a potentially deadly disease which causes inflammation of bronchi within the lungs, leading to chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Large scale genetic studies for COPD have largely been based off genetic information obtained from those of European ancestry. A new tool called PTRS - a gene-based compliment to PRS - has enabled doctors to better predict and assess COPD risk factors for patients of African and Hispanic descent, furthermore, building upon already established genomic data. While PRS looks at direct genotype data, PTRS expands upon that, using linear combinations of genotypes to represent predicted expression levels also known as the transcriptome. This new test introduces a more diverse set of gene variation between races. This in turn allows for more accurate risk analysis for those of non-European (especially African and Hispanic) descent and was found to also predict COPD more effectively in heavy, longtime smokers.

 

People With Rheumatoid Arthritis May Have a Higher Chance of Developing COPD

 

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a 47% higher risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD.  Rheumatoid arthritis affects 1% of the world and is an autoimmune disease affecting healthy tissue and joints in the body.  COPD affects 6.4% of the world and causes coughing and excessive amounts of mucus.  

A study suggests COPD is linked to inflammation in the body.

In a database in British Columbia, 25,396 people were randomly selected for a study and it was shown that there was a higher risk of hospitalization for COPD in those with rheumatoid arthritis, around 47%.  

Researchers suggest early intervention with COPD symptoms in those with rheumatoid arthritis before irreversible damage is done in the lungs.  

The Possible Heredity of COPD

COPD affects several Americans across the country each year. COPD is short for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is a combinations of many of different conditions that negatively affect the lungs along with damage and inflammation tot he airways. Physicians do not look at the genetic factor that may take place in developing this disease when believing that someone may be at risk. There are many risk factors that have a severe affect on causing COPD and making it significantly worse. There may also be a genetic link to determine the risks of individuals that may be at a higher risk for developing COPD in the future.

The genetic link that some people may have to COPD is called AAT. Also known as alpha-1 antitrypsin. The only way to be at risk for COPD would be to have a deficient of AAT. It has been determined by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, that about 100,000 individuals living in the United States have an AAT deficiency that increases their risk of developing COPD. A person who lives in an environment with clean air and is a non-smoker can still be diagnosed with COPD if found with a deficient in AAT. There is not a specific test that physicians do to determine if someone has an AAT deficiency, therefore they may never even know if they have it. Instead, they look for the following signs, shortness of breathe, wheezing, a persistent cough, and regular respiratory infections.  Individuals that are AAT deficient have a chance of developing COPD at the early age of twenty years old.

In order to try and prevent the development of COPD is to stay away from many risks factors such as smoking and polluted air. The only way that an individual can be AAT deficient is if it is passed down through both parents carrying the deficient gene. If the gene is passed along through only one parent then the individual will not be AAT deficient, but it could be passed on to their children. The AAT deficiency may not be as common as the risk factors that contribute to COPD. People who is AAT deficient should talk to their doctor, reduce their vulnerability to the risk factors, and make lifestyle changes if necessary. Personally I believe that people should be aware of the risk factors and avoid them as much as possible whether they have the deficiency or not. By ensuring good health, taking the necessary steps to be educated on the risk factors can decrease the amount of people suffering from this disease.

Article: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323348.php
Related Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1519/

Genetic link between smoking and lung disease

 At Queen’s Medical Centre at the University of Nottingham, Prof. Ian Hall has created a study to find out what causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The goal was to study how genetics coincide with airflow obstruction and smoking behavior. The team looked at how genetics is involved with the smoking behaviors and the “lung phenotypes.” There was evidence that both smokers and nonsmokers had lung deficits caused by genetics. This lead them to believe that smoking and genetics are independent variables causing COPD.

The study itself varied from people who had never smoked before to heavy smokers. These people were also chosen whether they had high or low forced expiratory volume (how much air a person can exhale during a forced breath and is captured through spirometry). The FEV was studied to determine if the different FEV variations were related to genetic causes of different phenotypes. Using a new genotyping array, the scientists could compare lung health and smoking behavior with different genetic variations for the entire human genome.

The results showed six independent genetic variants with both lung health and COPD, but they also found genetic variants related with COPD in people who had never smoked. The fact that the team found the same sequence of a genome in both smokers and non smokers shows how variable gene regulation is. This study sheds light on airflow obstruction, COPD, and tobacco addiction and also how evident it is that genetic build can cause airflow obstruction whether they smoke or not. The researchers do think that further research should be done with the genetic factors to expand on the current study, they also think that this study thus will lead to prevention and treatment with COPD and hopefully help people stop smoking in the long run. 
I think this is super important because so many people are affected by COPD and it is important to know how it is caused. Even if you don't smoke you could still be at risk from gene variation, this could be from second hand smoke, the main goal is to stop smoking and increase lung health.

For more on this study click here! 
For more on how smoking can cause lung diseases click here!